how many hairs do you lose per day?

[growingmyhair]

I read somewhere that it's healthy to lose 50 or less hairs per day. yesterday I decided to finally count how much do I lose. 66 hairs. oops. I kinda suspected I lose more than 50 hairs as I lose quite a lot and I think maybe it's okay since my hair looks okay and I don't think I lose more than I was losing in 2005 or 2000

how much do you lose per day?

[RecklessCharlie]

Well I used to lose handfuls, though I never really took the time to count them. However now that I've stopped washing with shampoo I probably only lose about 10 a day and maybe 3 or 4 in the shower.

[Arianwen]

No clue...

[spidermom]

I'm not going to count my shed hairs. But it's normal to lose as many as 100 per day.

[growingmyhair]

I probably only lose about 10 a day and maybe 3 or 4 in the shower.
no! no! wow, aren't you lucky!

I'm not going to count my shed hairs. But it's normal to lose as many as 100 per day.
oh, 100, then I guess there is still hope for me. I need to look this up

[SurprisingWoman]

No idea. In order to get an average you would have to count several days in a row. I would have to count the hairs I lose in the brush, that I pull out of the end of my pony when I am doing a bun wrap... the ones that go onto the chair when I take my bun down at night...

Waay too much work for me. It is what it is.

[going gray]

Geez, I have no idea either, but I've read too, that it's perfectly normal to lose 100 a day.

[breezefaerie]

I am not sure of an exact count but I imagine I shed some where around 100.

[growingmyhair]

I wonder how I came up with 50 if you people heard it's a 100. then maybe I'm okay

[slythwolf]

It's not "50 or less", it's "50 to 100". Just so you know.

[growingmyhair]

It's not "50 or less", it's "50 to 100". Just so you know.
cool. so I'm losing very little hair then :D

[Dreams_in_Pink]

Mine should be more than 100...

[SlightlySoprano]

I was losing a TON of hair a day (200+) but I started taking biotin about a week ago and it seems like its starting to slow down a little! hallelujah!:D

[growingmyhair]

hm, biotin? I thought it's for hair growth

[DecafJane]

Enough to coat the head of my Dyson vacuum cleaner by the end of the week. :p

[JenniferNoel]

Oh, say, about 30 strands these days. About average for me this time of year. During the spring months it drops to around 5-10 per day. hmmm...

[Othala]

Tons. Way more than a hundred a day. I shed a lot less when I use Neeli oil but I cannot tolerate the smell anymore.

[waist2011]

I shed like crazy. Always have. But doesn't seem to be thinning! I would imagine I am closer to 200 a day.

[ArienEllariel]

Round about 20. Maybe more if I mess with my hair more.

[princessp]

Enough to coat the head of my Dyson vacuum cleaner by the end of the week. :p

Haha! It seems like I lose a lot too maybe over 100, but I've never counted them.

[christine1989]

On a shampoo day I lose about 35-40. On a CO wash day I lose about 25. On a heavy oiling + shampoo day I lose around 45-50. Needless to say I hate those days when I have to shampoo.

[Gvnagitlvgei]

Well I used to lose handfuls, though I never really took the time to count them. However now that I've stopped washing with shampoo I probably only lose about 10 a day and maybe 3 or 4 in the shower.

I truly believe my overshedding was due to this and over conditioning as well. I'm water-only for now (will see how I truly like it) and so far, very little shedding. I had handfuls every 3 days when I s & c'd because I kept it wet-bunned - probably another no-no for me.

[MissManda]

i honestly haven't the slightest idea of how many hairs I lose per day. I don't think it's a huge amount, but I am too lazy to actually count or care. I do collect shed hairs, but that is for hair experimentation purposes. I needed to wait about a month or so before I could a reasonable amount of hair to do henna testing with. :shrug:

[estherbeth]

I've always heard that 100 hairs per day is about average. I've never counted exactly how many I lose each day, but it seems like less than that. I always have this crazy little 'oh god, what if I'm going bald!' spaz when I comb or brush through my hair, though, and out come those daily hairs! :laugh:

[growingmyhair]

On a shampoo day I lose about 35-40. On a CO wash day I lose about 25. On a heavy oiling + shampoo day I lose around 45-50. Needless to say I hate those days when I have to shampoo.
according to my observations I lose hair irrespective of activities with my hair. of course, excessive pulling adds some odd hairs but if I don't do anything to my hair I just have these shed hairs in my still attached hair (my hair is curly so they don't just fall out) and they tangle. my point is, maybe you just take out more shed hairs out of your mane on the shampooing days

[OtiggerificO]

I'm glad someone started this thread, I had started to get worried about how much I shed.

I had hope that after I stopped ripping through my hair when it was wet and bunning it a lot that I'd be losing less hair. However I can still block a shower drain and I was starting to properly worry, but once you divide that one amount over the 4 days between washing it's not that bad, phew :)

[jasper]

I don't count either, but when they're long, it seems like more because longer hair makes a bigger hair ball. Shed hair forming hair balls drives me crazy. I thought about collecting it, untangling it and making a braid over time, but I only managed to flirt with that idea for one day.

[smileycat]

I am with the "I have no idea and do not care" crowd, but then I don't notice much loss on a daily basis to begin with.

[lesbia]

about 50 for me I think...:)

[SlightlySoprano]

hm, biotin? I thought it's for hair growth

My dermatologist said taking at least 1,000mcg of biotin a day reduces hair loss as well

[RadiantNeedle]

I'm not going to count. I know it would shatter me, and seeing all the hair on my clothes, my brushes, the laundry, the cat... That's bad enough without having to count them. Must be over 100 a day.

[isbmlamloi]

I think I lose about 50 strands a day. If I condition in the shower I lose more then, but if I don't, I lose more in the combing-out later, so I think it all evens out.

[constantki]

I lose way more than 50 hairs a day! It seems more like 150 to me. My hairs seem to get everywhere.

[Peregrine]

I counted over 225 hairs a day. This depressed me so I stopped counting after that. Of course I was transitioning to WO at the time. I have dropped down from that now, but I still don't want to recount.

[growingmyhair]

after 225 I wouldn't want to count again. I don't want to count after 66... it's just that now I know approximately how much hair an average bunch of lost hairs has and can control hair loss (more or less)

SlightlySoprano, thanks for the biotin tip. I'm kinda resistant to taking anything inside but I'm not googling biotin and thinking about it

[Juneii]

depends I would think, I estimate 50-75 hairs. Giving room for the hairs that slide out without my notice during the day.

[Joliebaby]

Very little. I do get some shed hairs on my brush each night, but I definitely think it's less than 10 a day. Don't see many hairs in the shower on wash days either. Nor any on my clothes etc.
I've had a HUGE shed a few years ago due to medication and it was disheartening to pick up those clumps of hair at the shower drain after washing my hair...:( But it is possible to bounce back from a big shed.
ETA: I actually counted the hairs on my brush this morning because I was curious and knew it wouldn't take long. The grand total was 2 hairs. So I went through my hair with my hand to catch any more lose hairs and got one. So three hairs shed when brushing. I don't think I lose 10 hairs even on washing days.

[Sunsailing]

100 hairs per day is average.
There really is no way to actually count every single hair that is shed in a day without laboratory conditions.

But also keep this in mind...
Brunettes have an average total of about 100,000 hairs
Blondes have an average total of about 120,000 hairs
Red heads have an average total of about 80,000 hairs

So the average amount shed will vary with how dense your hair is.


I shed much more if I go more days without shampooing. I usually shampoo every other day. When I do this, I seem to shed very little. But if I go an extra day (or more), I lose A LOT of hair in the shower and while combing. I believe it is because the shampoo helps remove DHT from the scalp.

[Messy Cook]

Hm, I think that I definitely lose close to a 100 a day, I think.
I wear my hair up all the time, mainly to protect it and because it is just too thin, in my opinion, to look good when wearing down.
It would make me depressed if I had to count them so I let it go.
I try to treat my hair very gently, do not let it go through big changes since I have "fickle follicles" you could say.

LHC is a place of hope for me because it shows how, if you treat your hair gently enough, every one can have long hair.

[jeanniet]

I'd say between 50 and 100; probably closer to 50 most days. I have a big shed in late spring and then it's easily 100. I've always shed about the same amount, although it might be a little less now that I'm taking better care of my hair. If you're shedding the same amount you always have and you're protective of your hair, then that's probably normal for you.

[MayaBlue]

I shed like crazy, more than 100 hairs a day I'd say. My friends and family just love it. Hair all over their car seats, my bathroom floor, everyone elses floors...etc ;)